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Oy, I Overdid It – Recovering from Surgery

Let me tell you, the most frustrating part of having had surgery is that as an active person it’s very difficult to sit around and do nothing. So, while I am smart enough to follow my doctor’s instructions, I’m also stubborn enough to push the envelope and today – I overdid it.

15 Minutes of Effort

Currently, 15 minutes of physical effort leaves me weak and exhausted. If I take a shower for fifteen minutes, I take a 2-hour nap right afterwards. When I go for my designated 15-minute walk, well that’s another 2 hours I need to spend napping. It’s frustrating to feel so weak and so out of it. To add insult to injury, I am sleeping in a chair to keep from rolling over on my incisions and when I go to sleep, I sleep so hard that I don’t move so when I wake up – my back is rigid and the muscles are all locked up.

In an effort to help me out, my doctor has prescribed me muscle relaxers. The muscle relaxers are great because now I don’t have to take as much pain medication, but the muscle relaxer works better than the 15 minute walk and requires another 2 hours of sleep after I take one before I can be functional.

Can you hear the whining in my voice? Well, if you were here, you’d certainly hear it.

I’m an Active Person

I’m an active person. I’m always on the go. I always have a dozen different projects in the hopper. The weeks leading up to my surgery weren’t pleasant, but I kept pushing it and I stayed active, but since the surgery, my activity levels have dropped like a rock. Today, I promised my daughter and my nephew I would go up to their school for their book fair.

My husband dropped me off just before 9 a.m. My nephew’s class was in the library from 9 until 10. We enjoyed looking through the books together and making a few selections. Then I had an hour and a half where I helped out the librarian while I waited for my daughter’s class to come in. The librarian is a good friend and she left me in charge of the cash box so that I could be sitting and she shooed me out for some lunch at 11.

By the time my daughter’s class arrived in the library for their hour of book fair, I was falling down exhausted, but I pressed onwards. We spent our time looking at books and picking out what would appeal to her. Finally I made those purchases and about a quarter after twelve, I headed for home. Now here’s where I overdid it.

I walked home.

It’s only a half-mile and I’ve made the walk more times than I can count. When I’m in a fit state of mind, it only takes about six or seven minutes. Today it took a little over 15-minutes (hey, that killed two birds with one stone). I got home, let my dogs out and called my keepers (my husband and my mother-in-law to let them know I was home, safe and sound.

Apparently my words were slurring and there was a general consensus of worry. They both yelled at me for having overdone it and I didn’t really care. Ten minutes after coming in, I’d drank a half a bottle of water, went to the bathroom and fell asleep in my chair for a couple of hours. I woke up when both of them arrived to check on me.

Washed Out

Currently, I feel stretched too thin and all washed out. But I’m not in a lot of pain – this is the plus side. But I did overdo it, so when they all lectured me (six year old daughter included), I felt suitably chastised. It’s important to remember when you are recovering from surgery that you need to take your time and let your body heal. You need to obey the messages your body sends when it needs rest and you need to maintain a positive level of hydration.

I overdid it today and I’ll probably pay the price for it tomorrow. In the meanwhile, I got to enjoy both of the kids at their book fairs and their sunny smiles as they investigated the books they wanted to purchase and finally selected.

So for me, it was definitely worth it, but I promised to behave the rest of the week and not overdo it – at least until the next time I get antsy.

How are you doing today?

Related Articles:

Dear Heather … How Are You Coping with Your Medical Problems?

Update: My Ordeal & What the Doctor Said

Well, Here I Am Again …

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About Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago. They have a beautiful daughter who just turned five years old. She is learning to read and preparing for kindergarten in the fall. An author of more than 300 articles and 500+ web copy pieces, Heather has also written three books as a ghostwriter. Empty Canoe Publishing accepted a novel of her own. A former horse breeder, Heather used to get most of her exercise outside. In late 2004, early 2005 Heather started studying fitness full time in order to get herself back into shape. Heather worked with a personal trainer for six months and works out regularly. She enjoys shaking up her routine and checking out new exercises. Her current favorites are the treadmill (she walks up to 90 minutes daily) and doing yoga for stretching. She also performs strength training two to three times a week. Her goals include performing in a marathon such as the Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness or Team in Training for Lymphoma research. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience through the fitness and marriage blogs.